HOW TO CREATE A CULTURE
OF INNOVATION
COLUMN - Executive Talk
Savvy leaders shape the culture of their company to drive innovation. They know that it’s culture—the values, norms, unconscious messages, and subtle behaviors of managers and employees—that often limits performance. These invisible forces are often responsible for the failure of organizational change efforts. The trick? Design the interplay between the company’s explicit strategies and the ways people actually relate to one another and to the organization.
What is innovation? What is creativity? What is the difference between innovation and creativity? But most importantly, which is more important to your organization?
When it comes to innovation versus creativity, opinions diverge. One of the definitions out there relates to the practicality of these terms. Some say that creativity refers to the ability to come up with new ideas or new ways to approach old problems, whereas innovation is the ability to confine these creative ideas and make them turn into reality.
In other words, creative ideas are thought experiments within one person’s mind. Innovation, on the other hand, is concerned with the actual implementation of an idea. An organization can use innovation to convert its creative resources into appropriate solutions and reap a return on its investment.
Because people are often unclear about the exact meanings of these two terms, organizations often chase creativity when what they really need to pursue is innovation. In 2014, Bayt.com conducted a poll to measure the extent to which organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are perceived to be innovative. This poll, entitled ‘Innovation in the MENA Workplace’, revealed some very interesting insights into the world of innovation in the MENA region. For example, 83% of respondents claim their organizations have long-term innovation strategies; 85% state that they enjoy enough slack time at work to explore new ideas.
Organizations need innovation on all fronts – not just in new products, services, or technologies. Unfortunately, many managers don’t innovate because they don’t think it’s their job to do so. We say that innovation is everyone’s job. Great organizations don’t depend on a small number of exclusive people to come up with innovations.
Instead, they create a culture in which every employee is encouraged and empowered to innovate. Innovation leads not only to new customer offerings, but also to better margins, stickier customer relationships, and stronger partnerships with other firms. In fact, 62% of respondents in the Bayt.com ‘Innovation in the MENA Workplace’ poll say that innovation has led to improved financial performance for their company.
BY SUHAIL MASRI
32 | TRAINING MAGAZINE MIDDLE EAST Q3 2015